Chengyao Liu

Profile

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds. Before enrolling in the Ph.D. programme, I received my MA degree in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London. I was awarded a full research scholarship that was jointly granted by the University of Leeds and the China Scholarship Council. My previous work experiences include marketing, digital media production, and project management for a theatre management company in Shanghai and an international fashion design education project in the UK and China. My current Ph.D. research project is about professional video production on Chinese online video-sharing platforms.

I have presented my research at conferences and workshops, including MeCCSA and Media Industries (organised by King’s College London). I look forward to participating in upcoming conferences, including NECS 2025, IAMCR 2025, and the ECREA Media Industries and Cultural Production Workshop. I have also actively participated in the ESRC Digital Good Summer School at the University of Sheffield to engage with a range of theoretical, methodological and professional development topics relating to the digital good.

I am the PGR representative in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds for the 2024–2025 academic year. I am dedicated to building a supportive, inclusive, and diverse community that fosters both the wellbeing and academic development of PGR students. I actively listen to students’ concerns and work to gather resources across the School to support them on a wide range of issues—from navigating PhD life and managing research projects to balancing teaching responsibilities, planning career development, and maintaining mental health. I contributed to organising the 2023 PGR Symposium and served as co-lead for organising the 2025 PGR Symposium, held under the theme of (Counter)Power.

Recent Conference Paper: Liu. C. (2024). Transformation and Convergence: Professional Video Production on Chinese Short Video Platforms [Paper presentation]. Media Industries Conference 2024, London, United Kingdom.

Research interests

• Creative Labour Studies
• Media, Cultural and Creative Industries
• Critical Media Industry Studies
• Media Production Studies
• Online Screen Industries and Video-Sharing Platforms in China
• Platform Studies

Qualifications

• Ph.D. Candidate, University of Leeds
• MA Cultural & Creative Industries, King's College London